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Volume 8, Issue 72 (Thursday, July 5th)Hi Folks, Good Friday Morning to you. Hope you've had a nice week with the Holiday and all. Now it's time to wrap the week. We've got lots of news and notes for you plus some new versions of the Footballguys Podcast, The Audible, as well as a jillion (OK, 159) cheatsheets ready for you. Have a great Friday and let's get to it. JSITE NEWS A.
New Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Calvin Watkins - Dallas Morning News
B.
New Footballguys Podcast - The Audible - Email Update In Review
C.
159 Cheatsheets Released
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. MIA - Dolphins QB Beck Challenged2. ATL - Falcons Sign WR Kinoshita 3. Former Patriot RB Excelling In Canada 4. DEF - HOU - Texans DT Maddox Comfortable As Starter 5. DEF - NO - LB Jones To Sign With New Orleans 6. DEF - Former Bears DT Johnson Won't Face Charges 7. DEF - NE - Patriots SS Harrison Takes Pay Cut 8. DEF - OAK - Raiders DE McNeal Arrested On Multiple Warrants 9. DEF - ARZ - Move To 3-4 Causes Massive Changes For Arizona MIA - Dolphins QB Beck Challenged Source: Dick Harmon, Deseret Morning News Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback John Beck is finding it quite a challenge to master the complicated huddle calls required by the Dolphins. At BYU, his huddle call for a basic pass play would involve two words, usually a color and a two-digit number. With the Dolphins, who use a lot of shifts and motion, the call could involve 8 to 10 words or phrases, each signaling a specific aspect of the play. "Making reads, throwing the ball and running plays isn't much different than what I experienced at BYU, but the verbiage they use when calling out a play at the NFL level requires two to three times more words and it's much tougher," Beck said. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Pretty standard fare here. The mental adjustments moving to the pro level are every bit as demanding as the physical challenges for QBs. Not only are they learning an entirely new definition of what it means for a receiver to be "open" (measured in inches instead of feet), they also must master a new play calling vocabulary that's often very complex. Beck is a smart guy and he'll be fine. But he's got a lot to learn. ATL - Falcons Sign WR Kinoshita Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution After inviting free agent WR Noriaki Kinoshita to training camp, the Atlanta Falcons made it official with a contract. Kinoshita played with Amsterdam of NFL Europa for the past three seasons and he finished second in the league with 909 total net yards in 2006. He had 21 receptions for 308 yards and 532 kick return yards (23.6 average). [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Be the one guy in your league that pronounces his name correctly. It's "Nor-ee-ah-key Key-no-she-tah". According to the Admirals' Web site, Kinoshita said Joe Montana and Michael Vick are his favorite all-time players. I'm sure with all this dog fighting business going on, Vick was glad to hear that.Former Patriot RB Excelling In Canada Source: Boston Globe There is a hint of disappointment in his voice, the result of NFL teams slamming their doors in his face. Then again, that hurt can't compare to what he went through in 1999 when doctors told him they almost had to amputate his leg and that he might never walk again. The voice on the other end of the line is Robert Edwards, 1998 New England Patriots first-round draft choice and third-year member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. More than eight years after beating the odds to not only walk again but play football, he's still running. "I think about it every now and then," said Edwards, 32, who opened the CFL season last week with the Alouettes. "I've pretty much put it behind me, but I don't think the rest of the world has. It gets brought up whenever they say my name."[ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] It doesn't seem like 8 years have passed since Edwards injured himself at an NFL sponsored flag football game at the Pro Bowl. He was coming off a fantastic rookie season where he rushed for 1,115 yards and scored 12 TDs for the Patriots. DEF - HOU - Texans DT Maddox Comfortable As Starter Source: Carmine Pirone, HoustonTexans.com Houston Texans defensive tackle Anthony Maddox's performance last year, most notably the last game of the season in which he had nine tackles, including a sack plus a forced fumble that he returned for a touchdown, earned him an opportunity to enter the offseason as a starter. For the first time since being selected in the 4th round by Jacksonville in 2004, Maddox finds himself in a comfortable position entering training camp. "I don't feel a lot of pressure," Maddox said of the upcoming season. "I just know that it's my job and know they're expecting a lot from me." [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Maddox is a guy that will likely "surprise" some folks but the reality is that you could see it starting last year. In Jacksonville, he found himself stuck behind Pro Bowl defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson. With Houston, he'll have a chance to shine. DEF - NO - LB Jones To Sign With New Orleans Source: Rich Eisen, NFL Network Dhani Jones announced to Rich Eisen on the NFL Network's Total Access program that he had reached an agreement to sign with New Orleans. The contract was reportedly "on the FedEx truck" and was delivered to Jones while on the set where he signed it. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Jones will bring a veteran presence to the Saints and should help the team. He's entering his 8th season and still has plenty left in the tank. DEF - Former Bears DT Johnson Won't Face Charges Source: David Haugh, Chicago Tribune Former Chicago Bears DT Tank Johnson will not have another legal battle to fight after all. Authorities in Gilbert, Ariz., informed Johnson this morning they have no plans to charge Johnson in connection with a traffic stop for driving at 3:30 a.m. June 22 for speeding and driving while slightly impaired. Blood tests revealed Johnson's blood-alcohol content was .072 -- .008 below the legal limit. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] Johnson said he was still disappointed that the Bears chose to release him but sounded like he understood the position he put them in. He barely made it under the limit which means he won't be charged, but he's still guilty of poor judgement. A guy that's on ice as thin as he is doesn't need to be drinking any amount of alcohol and driving at 3:30 in the morning. He hopes to land with another team and while there are certainly obstacles to overcome (like an 8 game suspension), I wouldn't be surprised to see him sign eventually with another team. DEF - NE - Patriots SS Harrison Takes Pay Cut Source: Mike Reiss, Boston Globe New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison's contract has been adjusted. Harrison was scheduled to earn a $2.7 million base salary in 2007. He will now earn a base salary of $2 million. An additional $200,000 could be earned in incentives. Harrison's 2007 salary cap number decreases from $3.4 million to $2.7 million. The 2008 number remains the same ($3 million base salary). Harrison will be a free-agent after 2008. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] "Adjusted" is one way to say it I guess. Harrison felt strongly enough about staying in New England that he took a pay cut to make it happen. DEF - OAK - Raiders DE McNeal Arrested On Multiple Warrants Source: WLTX-TV Oakland Raiders DE Bryant McNeal, 27, was arrested near the town of Chapin, SC Thursday. He was wanted by authorities in Pinellas County, Florida on an arrest warrant for violating a pawn broking law. Deputies say he was arrested around 3:35 a.m. Thursday during a traffic stop. McNeal was charged here with driving with a suspended license and driving a vehicle without a headlight. McNeal has waived extradition, agreeing to face the charges in Florida. An arrest warrant for McNeal has also been issued in Richland County in South Carolina. The warrant claims McNeal wrote a fraudulent check in the amount of $1,500 to Berger Dental Group. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] How does a guy making an NFL player's write fraudulent checks to the dentist? I don't make these up... DEF - ARZ - Move To 3-4 Causes Massive Changes For Arizona Source: Kent Somers, Arizona Republic The move to a 3-4 defense has brought about a plethora of personnel changes for the Arizona Cardinals. Darnell Dockett moves from DT to left DE. Either Gabe Watson or Alan Branch will start at NT, with Antonio Smith at right DE. Former DEs Bertrand Berry and Chike Okeafor are now OLBs in the 3-4. Karlos Dansby moves from the OLB to ILB, where he'll play next to Gerald Hayes. [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ [ OUR VIEW ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] ] All you IDP guys out there pay attention. Lots of changes are afoot with the Cardinal defense here as they make a system change. We'll be watching closely in camp to see how well the players pick things up. That'll do it for today, Folks. Have a great Friday and we'll see you tomorrow with the update. J |
